Automatic firearm.



R. FROMMER.

'AUTOMATIC FIREARM.

APPLICATION FILED Nov.v1. 1913.

LI69,249 mama 1311.25, 1916.

RUDOLF FROMM'EB, OF BUDAPEST, AUSTRIA-HUNGARY.

AUTDMATIC FIREABM.

Specification of Letters yPatent.

Application led November 7, 1913. Serial No. 799,850.

To all 'whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RUDOLF FRoMMER, residing at 158 Soroksri t, Budapest, IX, Austria-Hungary, manager, have invented certain new andV useful Improvements in and Relatin to Automatic Firearms, of which the fo lowing is a specication.

This invention relates to automatic firearms of the kind having sliding barrels and breech blocks of the bolt type 1n which the breech block is temporarily held in its retracted position by means of a retaining device during the return movement of the barrel toits initial position.

The invention has for its object to provide improved arrangements whereby such automatic firearms can be readily converted into hand-loaders. To this end various arrangements have already been proposed according to which the sliding barrel is clamped or otherwise rendered immovable,-

but it has been found in practice that devices of this kind are open to the disadvantage, among others, that the clamping of the barrel alters the position of the aiming point of the weapon so that a re-adjustment of the sights is necessary when the weapon is converted into a hand loader and vice versa.

My invention obviates this disadvantage by permitting the barrel to retain its normal slidin movement both when the iirearm is adyusted for hand-loading as well as for automatic loading so that the condi# tions of operation are the same in both cases and the position of the aiming point remains, therefore, unaltered. This is effected, according to my invention, by so constructing the mechanism that the retaining device above referred to can be rendered inoperative when it is desired to use the weapon as a hand-loader. In that case the breech block after moving backward with the barrel, due to the recoil, is free to return to its original position together with the barrel, the barrel and breech block remaining in en agement with one another both during t e backward and forward movement. Consequently the empty .cartridge is not ejected, nor 1s a fresh cartrldge automatically introduced into the chamber. In order therefore to fire a second shot, the breech block must be opened .by hand, whereupon the empty cartridge 1s e]ected, the reclosing of the breech block introducing a fresh cartridge into the chamber in the usual manner.

In other words, when converted into a hand-loader, the action of the Patented Jan.25,19 16.

weapon at'each discharge is similar to that of an ordinarynon-automatic firearm, with the exception that, after each discharge, the barrel and breech block move backward under the 'action of the recoil and immediately return to their ori 'nal position.

By automatic e-arm I mean a firearm 1n which due to the Irecoil, i. e., without any action on the part of the operator, the empty cartridge `shell is extracted and e]ected, a fresh cartrid e introduced, the breech block closed and nally the bolt put under tension s0 that the operator has only to gull the triggerto re a shot.,

y hand-loader I mean a fire-arm, in V which after each shot the breech-block is moved back by hand to extract and eject the empty cartridge shell, the bolt is put under tension and then the breech-block returned to its original position, also by hand, whereby a fresh cartridge is introduced, after which, by pulling the trigger, a shot can be fired, i e., before each shot the breech-block must be both moved back as also forward again by hand.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing of which-v Fl re l is a view in sectional side elevation of the breech portion of an automatic rifle constructed in accordance with my invention, Fig. 2 being a transverse sectional 4View of a portion of the mechanism shown in Fig. 1. In the drawing the sliding barrel of the rifle is indicated at l and the breech block at 2. A spring controlled retaining device 3 is provided, adapted to enter a recess 4 in the breech block 2 when the latter is driven backward by the recoil. The breech block 2 is maintained in this position by the catch 3 until the barrel 1 has nearly completed its return movement toward its original position, whereupon a projection 5 engages the catch 3 thereby releasing the breech block 2 and permitting it also to return to its original position as shown in Fig. 1.

The essential feature of my invention consists in providing means for rendering the retaining device 3, or its`equivalent, inoperative so as not to prevent the immediate lock, the extremity 7 of the slide 6 projectknob 11 is provided with two holes 12 into one or the other of which the retaining pin 10 can enter so that the slide 6 can, by means of the knob 11, be snapped into one or the other of two positions determined by the holes 12.

When the slide 6 is in the position shown in Figs. 1 and 2 ofthe drawings, thev pin -10 'being in the lower one of the two holes 12,

the catch'3 is. retained in its lower position out of reach of the breech block 2 so that the latter will move backward and forward together with the sliding barrel 1. Under these conditions the Weapon is adjusted for hand-loading -and will fire single shots. When, however, the slide 6 is moved upward so as to withdraw the retaining pin 10 from the lower hole 12 and cause it to enter the upper one, the catch 3 will move into the path of the recess 4 so as to retain the breech block 2 in its retracted position catch 3 inoperative when it is desired to conl vert the weapon into a hand-loader, e. g. .the

catch itself'may be arranged to be detachable from the weapon so that its removal w1ll convert the weapon from an automatic toa hand-loading firearm when desired. lImprovements in these land other respects may obviously. be madewithout exceeding Athe scopel of my invention.

vI claim as my invention:`

An' automatic fire-armA having a sliding barrel, a breech block, a spring actuated catch adapted to retain the said breech block in its retracted position, a projection on the said barrel adapted to .disengage the said catch from the said breech block in the` foremost position of the said barrel, and means to render the said catch inoperative at will, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

- In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature.

RUDOLF FROMMER. 

